Erica Anderson
Erica Anderson (エリカ・アンダーソン Erika) is the waitress of the Stray Sheep. A friendly sort, she often joins in the conversations of her customers. She, Vincent Brooks, Jonathan Ariga, and Orlando Haddick all grew up together, and she always makes a point of stopping by their table and sharing the latest gossip. She's aware of Tobias Nebbins's crush on her, and she's more than a little amused by his puppy love. Erica is a playable character in the DLC of Catherine: Full Body. Design Erica has red hair in a bob cut and brown eyes. Her eyebrows are black, hinting her hair is dyed. She has a beauty mark near the left side of her mouth. She is on the taller side for a woman, noticeable when she stands beside Rin. She wears a yellow waitress uniform with red and white lining. Her top shows a little cleavage as she seems to wear no undershirt underneath. On her head is a French maid hat. Boss lets her wear green and white sneakers, as constantly moving in high heels for months/years could cause permanent damage to her feet, and he prioritizes her comfort and safety over fashion. Personality Erica is, unofficially, one of the main features of the Stray Sheep, as Boss has said many customers come in just to see her. Boss himself has made several advances on her, which she has forcefully and loudly rejected. She is mischievous, spreading rumors regardless of how true they are. She is flirtatious, especially with Toby. She also flirts with Vincent, telling him she knows he sneaks a peek at her every so often. On Day 8, Erica seems to develop a crush on Vincent. Erica is kind and caring, checking on Vincent's well-being to see if he's okay. She used to be much closer to Vincent and her friends, but has since drifted away due to them all growing up, something she laments. She is seen frequently giving Vincent and the group advice for how to deal with their problems. Erica's compassion is also shown with her relationship with Rin, providing Rin with a job, clothes, health checkups, etc. Erica almost acts as Rin's older sister. During a conversation between Toby, Jonny, Orlando, Vincent and herself about who she'd be most likely to marry, she states in a clear-cut relationship, she'd pick Orlando, but she wouldn't marry him. She feels Jonny would treat her right, but she doesn't like the idea of being tied down to one guy. In the end, she picks Toby because of his enthusiasm and cuteness. Though not initially a fan of women's wrestling, she's gotten into it since the bar focuses on that for their bets. She's enamored with the idea of powerful women, although she also blushes when Vincent stands up to Boss, showing she admires powerful people who stand up for themselves. History Erica, Jonny, Orlando, Katherine McBride and Vincent have all been friends since high school. During that time, she was hurt deeply in a relationship, and disappeared for a short time. Though everyone thought she had killed herself, in reality she was just staying at a friend's house until it blew over. ''Catherine'' Erica is the source of all the rumors circulating about "The Woman's Wrath" and routinely stops at Vincent's table to spread the latest information on it. Toby takes every opportunity to flirt with her, which she plays with constantly. Though she is actually interested in him, she's reluctant to actually begin a relationship due to their difference in ages. The rumors she starts about the witch in town get more and more outrageous, as she says the witch can't die and doesn't age. Then, she states the witch was a classmate of theirs, and went to the same school at the same time. She chides Vincent for not having a sense of romance in playing along. Later, she admits to Vincent that she herself is the witch, explaining that she added a bunch of stories from their youth to the rumors just for fun. On the night of Day 6, she actually does begin a sexual relationship with Toby after he asks her out several times. Because of this, she begins to have the Nightmares that everyone else is complaining about. Though her relationship with Vincent, Orlando and Jonny is platonic, she flirts briefly with Vincent, telling him she knows he sneaks a peek at her every so often. On Day 8, Erica seems to develop a very mild crush on Vincent, after his confrontation with Boss; she blushes and seems pleasantly startled at his sudden confidence. Unlike the rest of Vincent's friends, Erica gets to find out that Catherine wasn't an illusion of Vincent's, as well as the meaning of the nightmares. This happens when Boss admits having seen Catherine, knowing her business and accidentally revealing his identity and role in the trials. The only two endings in which Erica appears are the Catherine Bad Ending, where she expresses concern for Vincent's mental health and the Katherine True Ending, where Toby seems to regret sleeping with her though it isn't explicitly stated whether they are still together or not. ''Catherine: Full Body'' Erica took Rin to see a doctor regarding her amnesia and health. Erica was also the one who gave Rin her pajamas. Erica warns Vincent not to become intimate with Rin. When Vincent offends Rin after slapping her hand to the point Rin does not want to return to the Stray Sheep, Erica is concerned and annoyed. Erica realizes Vincent said something bad to Rin after discovering the truth of Rin's body and tells him to apologize to Rin. In a high school flashback scene, Erica is seen. In the ending where Catherine rewrites history to make her and Vincent a couple in high school, history is altered so that Erica has not transitioned yet, although her dialog implies she is still planning to. It is not explained why Erica has not transitioned yet; it may be because Vincent's marriage with Catherine is set earlier than later, or perhaps Erica's transition is rather recent in the original timeline. It may also simply be a ripple effect caused by a butterfly effect in an alternate reality. In the same ending, Katherine ending up with Paul may be another example of how Catherine trying to get with Vincent in the past caused changes in their timeline. In the Rin True Ending, Erica reveals that she's becoming a professional wrestler. Quotes *''"I've got a nice pair of stiletto heels I know how to use."'' * "Ugh, that's low, Vincent! Lowest of the low..." (to Vincent after she finds out he cheated on Katherine) * "Still, you're cheating? That's big news... Don't you care about Katherine? ...I hate to be so confrontational, but geez..." * "You guys are still just kids. Only your bodies grew up." (about Vincent and his friends) * "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" (seeing Boss' eyes) * "Sorry, but once that hole is punched, there's no refund!" (to Toby) Etymology Erica is a feminine form of Eric deriving from the Old Norse name Eiríkr (or Eríkr in Eastern Scandinavia due to monophthongization).The name is thus usually taken to mean "sole ruler, autocrat" or "eternal ruler, ever powerful". This could be a reference to Erica's admiration for strong and powerful people, especially women and wrestlers/wreslettes. "Anderson" means "Son of Anders", which is derived from the Greek meaning "man" or "manly." This might be another nod to her original sex at birth. The Trivia for Tonight..... *Erica bears a strong resemblance to Paprika, the protagonist in the animated movie Paprika, and may have been inspired by her. The movie is based around the idea of entering one's sleep and dreams, and thus shares many themes with Catherine. *Erica is one of the few characters that references Catherine's name. She differentiates between them by saying "C or K Katherine." *Erica has had to cover for Vincent's drinking habits many times.https://youtu.be/vLFvd7YF8o8?t=679 *There are several other instances during the game that her gender identity is addressed: **She expresses interest in joining a women's wrestling team, which Vincent claims would be impossible. She misunderstands and says that she's strong, but Vincent explains they wouldn't let her in in the first place. **She tells Vincent he needs to learn how a girl's heart works and how a woman is always hoping someone will come sweep them away. Vincent then comments that he'd be more convinced if a woman was telling him this. **She begins to have nightmares, which are exclusively given to men. **After discovering she was having nightmares, Toby comes to the conclusion that gender must not matter. Orlando then retorts with, "I'm not so sure..." **Jonny and Orlando both have extreme reactions whenever Toby professes his love for Erica, and especially once Toby loses his virginity to her.https://youtu.be/o5UlEq83Tmc?t=2111 **On the 4th day, Jonny asks, "Hey, is Toby really into Erica?" Orlando replies, "Well, kids drool over girls like that." Jonny then says, "Well... but... it's Erica." **Vincent may say, "Don't mess around, man," to Erica.https://youtu.be/h9OywsE1L34?t=285 **Toby explains that sex with Erica was 'weird', though he can't quite say why, since it was his first time. As Toby proclaims it was big and doesn't mention himself really sets off Orlando as he switches subjects quickly. **Most of the time, everyone addresses her as "she," and she shows a mild spike of anger when Vincent makes a reference to her not being a woman. **In the Katherine True Ending, Toby finds out that her birth name was Eric. **In relation to the previous statement, the game's credits, manual and Venus Mode Art Book lists Erica's name as Eric Anderson (Erica). * Although Erica has nightmares, her boss isn't shown and is anyone's guess. It may have something to due with her being trans, or not being honest with her identity with Toby. It can be posited her boss may be a monstrous Toby who feeds on her fears and insecurities, telling Erica she's a not a "real" woman, a liar, that she used him, that he doesn't want to be with her anymore, etc. Another possibility is that it is her pre-transition self. *Vincent never seems to encounter Erica in the nightmares, possibly because she obtained them mid-way the game, and all sheep apparently start out at the bottom floors and work their way to the top. Fortunately, Erica and all the other sheep were saved when Vincent won his bet against Boss. *Erica has been praised for being a step forward in LGBT representation and represents a minority demographic. She is a likable, kind and caring individual who happens to be transgender and has a sympathetic background where she was thought to have killed herself. She also passes, seems satisfied and happy with her result and being thought of as female, and she is also in her 30s (LGBT people are often told being LGBT is "just a phase" or they will "grow out of it" which is offensive). Many fans feel Erica feels very "humanized" with opinions and emotions, and are able to empathize with Erica. Erica is often a fan favorite, and the subject of fanart and cosplays. * Erica is also a controversial character. While trans people are not obligated to reveal their status to their dating partners or anyone else, Erica did not reveal her status to Toby before they had sex, which could be perceived as Erica being inconsiderate to Toby's feelings. Erica being transgender revealed at the end could be seen as a "plot twist" or "punchline" which the game has been building up for hours using hints, which may give someone the idea that being LGBT is a "joke" that isn't to be taken seriously, and that it is acceptable to use LGBT as the subject of jokes/punchlines/ridicule. The meaning of Erica's surname could be viewed as a distasteful joke. The game inexplicably deadnames Erica in the credits, manual and Venus Mode Art Book, treats her as male by showing she has nightmares (which could mean Erica is not a "real" woman according to the game's writers, or simply mean the curse is based on chromosomes, not gender), and the Venus Mode Art Book callously claims her body type has "surprisingly broad shoulders" and says her sex is male (男性 dansei) instead of female (女性 josei). ** The PC version credits of Catherine Classic does not deadname Erica and simply uses "Erica Anderson". However, the Japanese version of Full Body lists her as "EricA". It is unknown if Erica will be deadnamed in the English version of Full Body, although Erin Fitzgerald (Erica's voice actress) mentioned Atlus USA is being careful of Rin's/Erica's portrayals. ** The Venus Mode Art Book also has plenty of other errors. For example, it also lists "Orland Haddick" (an instance of the last letter of a first name being omitted) and lists Boss' sex as female, so there is a chance it was a typo/error instead of transphobia. ** While the Full Body Art Book does not deadname Erica or list her as male in her profile page, it uses the same description as the original book and uses the name "Eric" for the character's dialogue in the new Catherine ending. ** These instances and other representations of the LGBT community in other Atlus titles such as Persona 3, 4 and 5 has caused Atlus and P-Studio to be accused of being transphobic/homophobic or at least insensitive regarding LGBT related issues and their portrayal in their games. As Catherine was originally released in 2011, the developers may have been unaware of concepts such as how trans jokes can be distasteful, the concept of deadnaming, etc. *Erica's role as the "witch" possibly emerged from her sex reassignment surgery. **Erica's supposed death could be taken as the death of Eric the man, though the timing of both events is not known. *Erica bears a strong resemblance to a couple fast food mascots. She shares the red hair, yellow clothes and red stripes of Ronald McDonald, and the red hair of the mascot for the restaurant Wendy's. **It has been theorized that the colors red and yellow subconsciously make people hungry. This widespread belief may be part of Erica's design by Boss in order to boost popularity and sales, who also inserted subliminal messages in Rapunzel. *Haru Okumura of ''Persona 5'' can dress as Erica. Gallery Art EricaRender.png|Render. AW8Wv5xCAAI-hHl.jpg|Scans from Venus Mode Art Book. AXBUV6ECAAAeov4.jpg|Scans from Venus Mode Art Book. EricaArt.png|Concept art. EricaSchoolArt.png|Concept art of Erica in high school. Catherine: The Novel EricaVincentNovel.png|Erica and Vincent about to see the truth of Boss. Catherine EricaCap1.png|Erica serving people at the bar. Pair.gif|"I've got a nice pair of heels I know how to use." EricHeels.png|Erica flirting with Toby. EricaCap2.png|"Well? Well? Come on, tell me about this girl!" EricaCap2.gif|"They say all the men who died were cheaters..." EricaCap3.png|"So they were cursed." EricaBossCap1.png|Erica and Boss. EricaVin1.png|Erica and Vincent talking. EricaVIn2.png|Erica asks Vincent if he's leaving. EricaVincentHorrified.png|Erica and Vincent horrified after removing Boss' sunglasses. EricaSeesKnife.png|Erica watching Vincent threaten Boss with an ice pick. EricaBlushing.png|Erica blushing after Vincent confronts Boss. KatherineTrue1.png|Erica at Vincent and Katherine's wedding. KatherineTrue3.png|Erica at Vincent and Katherine's wedding. KatherineTrue4.png|Erica at Vincent and Katherine's wedding. Catherine: Full Body RIN5.jpg|Erica and Rin talk to Vincent's table. EricaWinks.gif|Erica winking. EricasPhone.png|Erica checking her phone for the video of Rin. EricaUnamused.png|Erica unamused. EricaSerious.png|Erica realizing Vincent hurt Rin. EricaConfrontingVincent.png|Erica chastising Vincent about the way he reacted to Rin. EricaListening.png|Erica listening to Vincent's phone conversation with Rin. EricaFacepalm.png|Erica facepalming. EricaCongrats.png|Erica congratulating Vincent's and Rin's relationship. EricaTobyParty.png|Erica and Toby at Rin's party. EricaSunglasses.png|Erica at Rin's party. TobyEricaAlternateTimeline.png|Toby and Erica in the alternate timeline. EricaVsToby.png|Erica vs Toby. EricaSwimsuit.gif|Erica's swimsuit in Nero Vision. Category:Characters